Wicked's young Elphaba enjoys 'main character vibes'

A 10-year-old who was cast as the green-skinned Elphaba in the film Wicked has said the whole experience was "just amazing",

Karis Musongole, from Manchester, played the young version of lead actress Cynthia Erivo's character and worked closely with her and co-star Ariana Grande on the film, which premieres in cinemas on Friday.

She said being a part of Wicked had meant a lot to her, adding that both the set and the people involved had been "beautiful".

She was joined on the film by her best friend, nine-year-old Harriet Ryan from Tameside, who played a munchkin on screen.

The Wizard of Oz prequel, which is based on the long-running West End and Broadway musical, also features performances from Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage.

It tells the story of Elphaba and Glinda, two student witches who will become the Land of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West and Good Witch of the North.

Karis, who features in full green make-up in the film's trailer, joined her co-stars on the green carpet at the film's London premiere recently and told BBC Radio Manchester it had been an "incredible" night.

"It was amazing to see so many people that were really excited for me and really kind," she said.

"To be a part of Wicked means a lot to me.

"It’s just amazing. The set is beautiful, and the people are beautiful."

She said she enjoyed playing the young Elphaba, who was "very smart and humble, but because she's green-skinned, she gets picked on".

Harriet said working with Ariana Grande had been “very magical".

"I had a big part at the start of the scene and I got to tell her 'why does wickedness happen?'," she said.

She said the star was "very beautiful" and "very, very high-pitched".

She added that being on set had "felt like I was in a fairytale”.

The pair met at a local performing arts group and booked their roles through Warrington's Lauren Kelly Casting.

Agent Lauren Kelly said when she got the call about Hattie, "I was absolutely overwhelmed and shocked that I managed to get a little girl from here into what was definitely shaping up to be the film of the year".

She said when that was followed by Karis's offer, she "cried actual tears".

"To have Hattie already down there filming was amazing, but for her friend to then book the younger version of the title role was just the icing on the cake," she added.

The two girls said they hoped their big breaks would lead to more film roles and lead to a long acting career.

"I would like to carry on with main character vibes," Karis added.

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